September 11, 2023
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is adding artificial intelligence (AI) tools to crack down on potential tax violations by wealthy taxpayers. The IRS says it will be focusing on individuals with a total income of $1 million or more who have used “sophisticated schemes to avoid taxes.”
AI will reportedly be used to identify patterns and trends that could indicate tax evasion, such as large deposits or withdrawals from bank accounts, frequent travel to tax havens, and the use of shell companies. The IRS says AI will also help it to better target its audits, ensuring that resources are focused on those taxpayers who are most likely to be cheating.
According to IRS, it will not increase audit rates for middle- and low-income taxpayers. However, some critics have raised concerns that AI could be used to unfairly target certain groups of taxpayers, such as immigrants or minorities.
The IRS adds that it is committed to using AI to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes. “We are committed to using every tool at our disposal to crack down on tax evasion,” said IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel. “AI is a powerful tool that will help us to do just that.”
The sources for this piece include an article in Gizmodo.
